Truth About The Crucifixion — Page 167
than the dogma. One must not forget that the original teaching of Gautama was not a religion, but an attempt to find the solution of the philosophical question how to avoid suffering. . It is hardly probable that the similarity would be a mere chance. The opinion of Seydel that it was only Christianity that learnt from Buddhism and not also vice-versa is to be rejected. How could it be, if Buddha's teaching tends to suppress any desire and longed for the nirvana, whilst the teaching of Jesus came that his sheep should have a life and have it more abundantly? John 10, 10. . Buddha cared little for religious questions. Jesus on the contrary having fully accepted the creed of his fathers fought for its pure humanity against Jewish clergy and the Pharisees. . The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and his co-workers collected facts about Jesus' journey to Kashmir. . The archaeologist Prof. Kh. Hasnain enlarged them. These tell us, and I accept it, that Jesus may have reached India at an age of about 60 years. . He lived under the name of Yuz Asaf in Kashmir and preached also in the neighbouring regions following the opinion of P. J. Nehru. He ascertained in this tolerant atmosphere of the futility and selfishness of the monopolistic Jewish claim of world salvation "only through the Jews". He felt being bound to preach "to all nations" without any difference (Mat. 28, 19). . He might have preached mostly to simple people but when opportunity offered he discussed moral and religious matters with scholars of all creeds. . The situation in Kashmir was favourable for the realization of his ultimate plan: renewing his effort to institute the kingdom of God on earth. The Kashmir kingdom was situated in the centre of the vast Indoscythian empire founded by Kadfises. I and governed then by an equally successful warrior and statesman Kanishka the First. It was the centre of the Gandhara. Indo-Hellenistic culture, and was equipped even with a wellknown university at Taxila. . Being a good statesman, Kanishka longed for a common moral bond for the many nations ruled by him. He sought therefore information from Buddhist monks. But he did not like the differences of views of the many monks he invited to him. On the advice of the philosopher Parshwa he invited fifteen hundred Buddhist scholars to a council in Kashmir. It 172